This is Why I Love Hewlett-Packard

As most of you know I have a small business. Because it's still small I have to be careful about every dollar I spend on business expenses. So when I accidently ordered three packages of Hewlett-Packard photo paper (from hp.com) with 25 sheets in each package when I meant to order the 50 sheets-per-package size (because the cost-per-sheet is lower), I immediately re-ordered the correct size, and then called HP customer service to arrange to return the first order.

Before I even tell you what happened today let me just mention that shipping for paper, ink, and many other essentials from HP is FREE, even for NEXT DAY DELIVERY. That's awesome. AND if you need to return something, you simply call and get a return number, print the return tag they provide, tape the box back up, attach the return tag to the box, and drop it off at the nearest FedEx pick-up point. AND the return tag includes postage! So returning items is not only easy, it's also FREE. Shipping charges add up so free shipping is always much appreciated. The last time I had to return something to HP my Paypal account was credited before I even took the package to FedEx. I love that.

Back to today. I telephoned the customer service department to get the return number and link to print out the return label. Can you believe it, the guy said, I'm refunding your account but you can just keep the paper.

Huh??? "Keep it??" I thought I'd heard him wrong.

He laughed, and said "I can do that, and I'm doing it right now. Consider it a small gift from HP."

Wow. Sure, it's only a little over $40.00; a drop in the bucket for HP, but it's a lot to me.

And did I mention I LOVE my HP photo printer?

Vintage B&W Pony Pics!

A few weeks back Jen, at Scissors, Paper, Glue, wrote a blog posting about vintage b&w photos; she'd just picked up four bags full at an antique store. She invited her blog readers to tell her their favorite subject of vintage b&w photos and, if she had any, she'd send them to us. FUN!!

Well, I happen to LOVE old photos of kids on ponies. You know, the pony that used to be led around suburban neighborhoods back in the 30's and 40's by a bronze-skinned man in a red-and-white-checked shirt and a droopy moustache? Or the ones that walk around in a circle at the county fair (still see 'em today!) or led by a handler?

In my Mom's collection of family photos she has a shot of her older sister, my aunt Joanie, sitting astride a black-and-white pony in the front yard of their home in Los Angeles. I love that photo! I looked and looked but apparently I don't have a copy of it - I'll have to get one next time I'm at my mom's. Anyway, I think because I love that picture so much is why I asked Jen to see if she'd ended up with any "kids on pony" pics.

Sure enough, within a few days I received a note from Jen and included were THREE b&w photos! Thank you, Jen!!

I scanned them and here they are:
This one seems to have been taken at a fair. Check out the bits of roller coaster track in the background. Don't you just love the man's hat and pipe?? I don't know what the year was when this picture was taken, but I had a pixie haircut just like this little girl's around 1965, ha ha! Oh, and if you look real close at the left side of the photo, there's a white building where you can just read most of the phrase, "Pony Photos!"
I think this lady looks like Eleanor Roosevelt. She's holding the bridles of two shetland ponies, each with a pretty little girl on its back. Check out the lady's hat, striped dress, and strappy shoes. On the back of this picture is written, in what is probably the woman's very own handwriting, "May 1932 Beverly Hills." I'm guessing this may be is a well-heeled society lady and her two well-brought-up daughters, and those ponies are owned, not rented!
This horse is probably not really a pony, he looks a little big, but this still looks like a posed shot. For one thing, the young lady is certainly not dressed in riding clothes. Still, she appears to be happy to be astride a horse, maybe feeling pretty grown-up. She's probably around 11 or 12 which is the prime age when so many girls are crazy about horses (I was). I love the brands on the horse, there's one looks like a capital "N" just in front of the girl's leg, and the other is on the horse's rump and looks like "DB." Would love to know the name(s) of the ranch, or ranches(?), those letters represent!

It has been so much fun to examine these pictures, and wonder about the lives of the people in them, and the times when they lived, different from now, but still the same in many ways.

Anybody else share my love of vintage b&w pony pics?? Got any? I'd love to see 'em. Share!

In Defense of Self-Portraits or, "Dah-ling, you look mah-velous!"

Ok, so we all hate photos of ourselves. I don't like getting my picture taken because I never like the way I look when I see the photo. I compare myself to the way I looked ten years ago. I was thinner; my hair had less gray in it; I had fewer wrinkles. What I usually find myself saying is, "Don't aim that camera at me -- I look terrible!" And the last thing I thought I'd ever do is . . . take a photo of myself deliberately!

Ok, so no one looks as "good" as they did ten years ago - why would we expect to? Isn't that just silly? Ten years of living is going to leave its mark on us, especially if we are living life to the fullest. Every gray hair has its story, every wrinkle, too, and would we honestly give up a single wonderful meal shared with family and/or friends in order to carry just one or two fewer pounds?

So let me put in just a few words in defense of self-portraits, in favor of jumping into (instead of out of) group photos, and of allowing others to point their cameras our way because we do want to be captured in all our glory and with all our imperfections because . . . ten years from now . . . we aren't going to look as good as we do today, right now!

That's right - ten years from now we will look back at the pictures and say "whoa, baby, I looked good!"

My advice? Get out that camera, hold it at arm's length, point it at your face and take a photo because, dah-ling, you look simply mah-velous!

Rodrigo and Dianna's Wedding - June 14, 2008

Here are just a few snapshots from Rodrigo and Dianna's wedding, taken by myself, Michael, and Rodrigo. Dianna, on the steps of Santa Clara Church in Oxnard, California, simply gorgeous in her exquisite gown, veil, and bouquet. Isn't she breathtaking?!?After the ceremony, the bride and groom with their parents. From left to right: Terry Oliver, John Oliver, Dianna, Rodrigo, me, Rodrigo DeZubiria (Sr.). [Although Rodrigo (Sr.) and I are divorced and we have both remarried, we are all good friends, which makes it possible for us all to attend the wedding, participate in the ceremony, and have photos taken together.]Rodrigo and Dianna, Maya DeZubiria, their flowergirl, and Adam Parker, their ringbearer. Maya and Adam both performed like pros, walking up the aisle together, making their little bows at the alter, then turning and quietly walking to their seats. No one could have done a better job!Dianna and her bridesmaids, and her matron-of-honor, Jeanette (to Dianna's left). I don't know all the names of the bridesmaids but I will find out since I'll need that info for when I create the wedding album. They all looked simply stunning.
Those feet sticking out from the circle of ladies belong to Jeff Fassett of Fassett Photography. I can't wait to see the results of this particular maneuver! Jeff specializes in digital wedding photography, and he produces awesome pictures. Rodrigo, Dianna, and I met Jeff at a Wedding Expo in Camarillo and immediately liked his style, both creative and personal. He even created a slideshow to present at the reception that included baby and childhood photos of Dianna and Rodrigo AND photos from their wedding ceremony which had taken place just a few hours prevous. That was a huge hit among the guests!Rodrigo and his groomsmen, including his Best Man (his brother, Michael), and his ringbearer. I know the names of most of these guys, but a few I am not sure of so I will wait and list them all in a future post. Aren't they a handsome group?? My parents, Mike and Jeri Hansen, with Dianna and Rodrigo. We are very happy to have Dianna join our family, as well as her parents, Terry and John, her brothers, John Paul and Frankie, and her extended family, too. We met many of our new family members at the wedding and reception and are going to enjoy getting to know them all. Dianna even has an orange tabby cat. I knew I liked that girl!
Rodrigo and his dad, brother, and sisters Emma and Maya. Emma was a junior bridesmaid and also had the honor of performing one of the readings during the wedding ceremony. She did a great job, every word clear as a bell, and she didn't seem nervous at all. She has grown up so much in the last year - quite the young lady now!

There are lots more photos to come, and better ones than these, since they will have been taken by Jeff. I am anxious to see the ones taken during the ceremony, inside that beautiful church. So keep an eye out for more updates SOON.

I do apologize for making everyone wait so long for these first photos. Since our return home (very late) Sunday evening, Michael and I have spent most of our time sleeping! I was totally exhausted from a trip to China and then the wedding, and Michael, as most of you know, just arrived from China on the 11th, and was still suffering from jetlag when he was plunged headlong into last-minute wedding preparations. It's only today, Wed'day, that we are feeling rested. Poor Mike had to go straight back to work on Monday. Can't figure out how he managed to do that - I sure couldn't have.

Now Rodrigo and Dianna are on their honeymoon -- two weeks in Costa Rica. Congratulations, and have a wonderful time!

Things I'm Grateful for Today

a special, enclosed garden that my cats and I enjoy every day, and that helps me slow down, reflect, and enjoy each moment of each day

the lovely young woman our son is marrying on Saturday

the soothing breeze that comes up each evening, from the Carquinez Strait, to cool down our non-airconditioned home each night

Kohl's Department Store, who had just the right "foundation garments" to wear under my dress as "mother-of-the-groom" for said wedding

safe travel for our younger son, from China back to the U.S., to be Best Man at his brother's wedding

my husband, who didn't scold me for buying him a new white dress shirt just because I thought the one he already has is just a teensy bit grayish

the cutest little clutch that will be the perfect purse to carry at the wedding

my mom and dad for hosting 8 or more people at their home so that we can all enjoy the wedding without the expense of a hotel room

an invitation to tea in late June with the Westcoast Scrappers

my sister, Denise, for doing all the work (including getting the pint-sized tux) so her son, Adam, can be ring-bearer in the wedding

Crystal Light pink lemonade

my sister, Lisa, who affirmed that it was ok for me not to get my underarms waxed even though I'll be wearing a sleeveless dress for the wedding

flip-flops

my in-laws, Art and Betty, who wish so much that they could attend the wedding and send their Best Wishes to the bride and groom

pedicures

a brand-new wedding band for me that exactly matches my husband's (to replace the one that I lost a couple of years ago)

sunless bronzer by L'Oreal

my cousin, Laurel, who just moved to Benicia (how great is it to have family in town??) and who will look in on my kitty-babies while we are off to the wedding

micro-wave popcorn

gift cards because they make gift-giving SO easy

seedless watermelon -- it makes dieting so much nicer

my dad who will bless the rings of our son and new daughter-in-law

mockingbirds, hummingbirds, and squirrels, all of which my cats love to watch in the garden, and I love to TRY to photograph

family members making time to come to the wedding even though there are lots of other things going on in their lives

digital cameras, and the realization that I don't need to worry about taking photos at the wedding because Jeff Fassett of Fassett Weddings Photography will be there, wooohoooooooo!

two orange tabby cats urging me to come to bed. . . .

Animal Rights in China...

...can be summed up in three words. There aren't any.
Cats and dogs roam the streets. Sometimes they are shooed away with brooms or feet, sometimes they find a handout, once in a great while someone will take partial responsibility for them and bring a meal every few days. Mostly we saw them scavenging, finding scraps of food in the garbage and drinking water from puddles formed when someone threw out the day's wash water.
There is a small trade in animals for pets. In Luoyang there is a row of shops where they sell cats, dogs, mice, hamsters, fish and birds. The conditions in the stores would never be allowed in the U.S. Many of the animals are in cages that are too small, too crowded, open to handling by anyone who comes along, often sitting outside in the hot sun, and with no food or water.




We'd like to have bought every animal and taken it home!

Even these pet shop animals could be considered better off than the cat in the following two photos. She is kept chained to a tree in front of a row of stores where there is heavy foot and bicycle traffic and dogs roaming free. Michael often brings food to feed her. I asked him if the owners minded him doing that and he said, "I don't care if they do or not."

In Zhouzhuang we came across this tiny orange kitten seemingly roaming free outside a small shop. Turned out she kinda belonged to the owner of the shop who said, "she attracts all the foreigners!" Poor little thing barely big enough to walk. We bought some sausage and she attacked it like she'd not eaten in days. We also brought water.
Most of the Chinese walking by looked at us like we were crazy to be so interested in this kitten.
SO tiny!
In that same city we came across a couple who had these strange-looking birds tied to a boat, on display, and they were offering to take photos of people with the birds for money. The poor things were out in the hot sun, panting, tied by the legs to the boat, and not even water to drink.
I snapped a quick photo but the "owners" didn't like that and came rushing over to stop me.
Here is the man coming over to make sure Michael puts his camera away. It's all about making money in China.

In Michael's university classes the students are amazed at the photos of my cats, Jack and Scout, living in my house, fat and healthy, because most have never seen an animal treated as a "pet," let alone as part of a family. Animals are expendable here, and that won't change until China becomes more developed. It's true that portions of the country are seeing amazing growth and prosperity, as anyone who has visited Beijing, Shanghai, or Hong Kong knows. But the rest of China, the major portion of the country for the most part, still live under very harsh conditions.

People can't care about animals until they have enough to eat themselves.

Cinco de Mayo at Angel Island

A little group of my family members stole away on Monday and went to Angel Island to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. We consisted of Mike and I; my sister Denise, her husband, Dave, and two of her kids, Jenny and Adam; my sister Karen and her friend, Jen; and my cousin Laurel and her two boys, Bryce and Bradley. Above photo, left to right: Mike, Denise, Laurel, Karen (carrying Bradley), and Jen.
Bradley was so good; when our hike quickly became too much for his 2-year-old legs, he allowed us to simply pass him around like a sack of potatoes.
Bryce, 5, spent some of the day on Mike's shoulders. Sorry, Jenny, it looks like your spot has been taken over now that you are too tall for this mode of transportation!


Some of us travelled to Angel Island by sailboat, on the Mirage.
Usually, Mike does most of the driving. This time he had help from Captain Adam, who was at the helm just about the entire way and took his duties very seriously!
Jenny sat in the bowsprit and kept a sharp eye out for submerged navigational hazards.
Others arrived on the ferry from Tiburon. There's Karen, Jen, Laurel, Bradley, and Bryce.
Well, we had to have a pinata! It was Cinco de Mayo, after all! Mike worked the rope and the three boys took turns having a go at it with a big stick. It was an extraordinarily well-constructed pinata but they did finally manage to smash it open. Laurel helping the boys gather up candy. Bradley looks like he's found something he especially likes!

Adam and Bradley gathering up goodies. We had hoped for warmer weather but got a partly-cloudy day with more cold wind than we liked. But at least it made for a good kite-flying activity. In the late afternoon we spent some time aboard the Mirage - mainly to warm up! Bryce enjoyed "sailing" the boat.We were even treated to a little parade of geese; Mom and Papa at the front and rear, and the goslings in the middle. Happy Spring!

Benicia State Recreation Area

It's one of our favorite places to walk, bike, run, or rollerblade and it's also one of the state parks that is on Gov. Schwarzenneger's list for closure. We do hope that doesn't happen. In the meantime we are going to enjoy it as much as we can, and this happens to be one of our favorite times of the year at BSRA.

We took our bikes there yesterday afternoon and had a wondeful and relaxing ride to the end of the main bike trail and back, just over a 5 mile round trip. Lots of people were out walking or jogging or riding bicycles, although not as many as on weekends, or late afternoons after school gets out. The weather was perfect; warm and sunny and not too much of a headwind. Flowers and trees are blooming and the hills are covered with bright new grass.
Here's a field covered with that mustard grass I'm so fond of!

Mike climbed over a fence to explore this old abandoned trail, now partially covered over in grasses and plants. (He's like a cat -- put up a fence and the cat can't think of anything else until he's climbed over it!) We saw wild pheasants out in these fields, as well as lots of ground squirrels.
Along the bike trail, in the ditches, grow cattails. This group is from last year, blown out and going to seed. Later in the summer the new ones will appear. I often gather 4 or 5 and take them home to put in a tall pottery vase.
One of the few shaded parts of the trail, this path is lined with huge eucalyptus trees. It's always a welcome respite from the hot sun when we ride here at the height of summer.
At the very end of the bike trail is this view of the Carquinez Strait. Can you believe it? That's Mt. Diablo in the distance!

A xeriscape (low water) garden highlights native plants and flowers. The plants are marked so you can learn a lot about the different types that grow well in this area. We always stop here to make note of growth and changes. (And I like to take photos of the flowers!)

A walking path heading off toward the marshes. At the end is a viewing area to observe waterbirds and other wildlife. There are tons of Red Winged Blackbirds out in the marsh; also ducks, seagulls, and muskrats.

If you live in the east bay of northern California and have never visited the Benicia State Recreation Area, get over here! If it's closed it may be a long time before you have another chance. It costs $4 to park, but you can also park free in the residential areas nearby and walk or bike over. Bring your camera!